Patriots’ Vrabel Not Happy With Leakers In Building, Threatens To Find ‘These Rats’

A report came out a few days, just before the first round of roster cuts, that New England Patriots wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk would undergo season ending shoulder surgery. This is bad news for any player at any time, but head coach Mike Vrabel was not pleased with the story making it’s way to the media.

When asked to expand upon the injury news, Vrabel had this to say to reporters.

“I’d like to find out where some of these come from. You know, some of these rats around here. So, we’ll figure that out,” Vrabel said.

Vrabel, visibly angry at whoever bestowed that information to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, then took to social media to double down on his “rats” threat.

Vrabel posted a picture of Jack Nicholson in Michael Scorsese’s The Departed. A scene in which Nicholson, notably the villain in the movie, interrogates a member of his crew looking for, wait for it, “a rat”.

It’s unclear whether this post was acting as a double-down on the threat, or perhaps just a way to poke fun at the former player losing his cool at the podium.

Either way, I’m going to go on the record and say I adore the passion.

Polk’s Injury Timing Was Convenient

Warning: this hypothesis is my opinion and mine only. It comes from a lifetime of watching and playing football at a high level. I am not serving to make any accusation, but rather to point out why Vrabel might have been frustrated with the timing of the news.

Every body is hurt. End of story. There is not a person in that locker room that is not dealing with something at this point. You rack up a grocery list of ailments, then February comes around and you take yourself to the nearest doctor’s bed and get them all taken care of.

Ja’Lynn Polk was situated firmly on the bubble. With only six, or at most seven, spots available in the receiving room, the former second round pick was starting to look like the odd man out. His rookie year was unimpressive, he was outshined by the competition at camp, and last of all, he was clearly hurt.

This all adds up to say that Polk may not have made the final roster. Whether the team was looking to trade the pass catcher, or flat out cut him, leaking the injury news has made this impossible.

Polk has essentially bought himself another year in New England.

The injury is absolutely real and it is undeniably a bad break for the second year receiver, but the timing is convenient, that’s all.

Does Javon Baker Make The Final Cut?

It’s looking like the Patriots have their six.

Undrafted free agent rookie Efton Chism has made himself uncuttable through his performance at camp and every time he has taken the field this preseason. He will join fellow rookie Kyle Williams and four proven vets to make up this six man receiving unit.

What about Javon Baker? Baker like Polk had a disappointing first year in the league. His camp wasn’t much better. Will the Patriots already concede on the development of the young vertical threat?

All signs are pointing to New England parting ways with the player that “makes people in wheel chairs stand up.”